Howling Wind
by Cerih
Summary: AU. Ianto finds comfort in the howling wind of the Himalayas during the year that never was.


Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Ianto, Jack or the others. I wish I did. But unless BBC gives me a really nice Christmas present, I'm going to have to stick to writing fanfiction.

Howling Wind

Ianto stood at the top of the world, on a small ledge somewhere in the Himalayas, and stared in wonder at the whole world spreading before him. The last rays of sun dyed some of the mountain peaks the colour of molten gold, while the shadows deepened in the valleys and ravines. Ahead a storm was rising and the wind whipping around him made his eyes water. The rest of the Torchwood team were huddled inside a tent behind him, trying in vain to get warm before the storm reached them.

So there they were, somewhere in the Himalayas, because the Prime Minister of Britain had told them to go. Mr. Saxon had told them to jump and all they had asked was how high. Now, in a moment of nigh perfect clarity, Ianto could not help but to wonder about the man's influence over them all. The Rift activity he had sent them investigate as a matter of urgency was yet to be located, and the team's youngest member was not certain they would find anything at all. This was a fool's errand, but Jack would have known what to make of it. Jack would…

Ianto stopped that train of thought before it got any further. Jack was not there. Jack had abandoned them. Abandoned him. Shortly after his return to life and that earth-shattering kiss, he had disappeared, hanging onto the outside of a blue police box and simply vanished from their lives. That had been weeks ago and now they were in the middle of nowhere, lost and aimless without their leader. To Ianto, every moment was a struggle, like even a single breath was too much. The pain was similar to what he had experienced when Lisa had died, only much, much worse. For inside his cool and composed exterior, he had been madly in love with their Captain.

Ianto had always been good at keeping all his emotions hidden inside of him, but there were moments – like the current one – when he felt overwhelmed by it all. He screamed his anguish out to the desolate scene before him, and the wind whipped the sound from his lips so quickly that even he himself barely heard it. For a moment he thought he had heard something in the wind, something that sounded almost like Jack calling his name, but he immediately dismissed it as irrational. Jack was gone. Ianto sighed as the last ray of sunlight disappeared behind a storm cloud and the snowflakes began to fall. He glanced around him one more time and then returned to the relative warmth of their tent.

The storm kept them stationary for days, but eventually they were able to continue their search. At one point Tosh, with her plethora of equipment, managed to patch a link to a passing satellite enough to get news from home and see the warrants of arrest for the Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness. As the satellite passed out of range and the connection was lost, Torchwood 3 remained staring at the computer screen in mute horror. Jack was on Earth and the police and UNIT were after him. But most importantly, he had not tried to contact any of them.

For months they wandered in the mountains and although news travelled very slowly, they eventually heard about the Master and the Toclafanes. Torchwood remained in the Himalayas, hiding from the aliens and working with local rebel groups to help people. Every night Ianto lay in his sleeping bag, so weary his bones were aching, and cried silent tears for Jack's betrayal. Every night he fell asleep hearing Jack's voice whisper words of love to him through the howling wind.

A year passed, although for all of them it felt more like ten had gone by. Torchwood 3 had grown close – they were truly a family now – but one thing each of them bore alone and in silence was the loss of Jack. They never met Martha as she travelled across continents, but they received her message nonetheless and on the set moment they all called out for the Doctor, albeit Ianto with a voice filled with resentment and anger. Thus the year that was became the year that never was and time moved backwards.

####

Ianto stood at the top of the world, on a small ledge somewhere in the Himalayas, and stared in wonder at the whole world spreading before him. The last rays of sun dyed some of the mountain peaks the colour of molten gold, while the shadows deepened in the valleys and ravines. Ahead a storm was rising and the wind whipping around him made his eyes water. The rest of the Torchwood team were huddled inside a tent behind him, trying in vain to get warm before the storm reached them.

Ianto had always been good at keeping all his emotions hidden inside of him, but there were moments – like the current one – when he felt overwhelmed by it all. He screamed his anguish out to the desolate scene before him, and the wind whipped the sound from his lips so quickly that even he himself barely heard it. The howling of the wind seemed familiar somehow, as if he had heard it many times before and the memory had simply faded into something elusive that taunted him at the edge of his consciousness. Ianto suddenly snapped his head up, as he heard, as clearly as if Jack was standing next to him, the Captain call out to him. "Ianto, my love, it's time for you to come home now."

####

"Come home to me my Ianto."

The Welshman turned around so quickly that he almost tripped on his feet. There he was, Captain Jack Harkness, standing in the snow with the wind making his great coat billow around him. He looked just as Ianto remembered, the same clothes, the same cocky smile. And now he was there, in the middle of the mountain range, because he had come to take his lover home. Jack stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around the Welshman, and gave the other man a kiss full of love and tenderness. Ianto let out a choked sob and melted into Jack's embrace. There would be time later for accusations and feelings of hurt, anger and betrayal. For now, Jack was here with him and that was all that mattered.

Eventually Ianto ran out of breath and he had to break the kiss, stepping back and savouring the tingling feeling on his lips for a moment before opening his eyes. And found no Jack in front of him. He turned around a full circle, but all he could see were snowflakes falling faster and faster. Just as he was starting the panic, he heard his name called over the wind.

"Jack?!" He called in return, only to see Owen running to him.

"Jack? What? No. Come and take a look, Tosh just found something very interesting." Owen beckoned towards the tent and turned back before he froze entirely. Ianto followed more slowly, still confused.

Inside the tent Gwen and Toshiko were huddled around a small alien gadget that provided never-ending supply of electricity – the only reason they had survived the weeks in the mountains – and they were staring at Tosh's laptop in awe. Tosh started speaking as soon as Ianto was inside the tent.

"I managed to find a stable satellite connection and link to the hub's network. I was merely looking for any news from the civilised world, when the Rift monitors went crazy. They are showing that some sort of Rift occurrence enveloping the entire planet and then simply disappearing."

Tosh turned the laptop so that Ianto and Owen could see the replay of the activity. They both stared at the screen in silence. Finally Owen cleared his throat and said quietly: "With that level of Rift activity, there will be severe consequences. After effects if you like. Cardiff is probably drowning in Weevils by now."

They all looked at each other for a moment, each thinking about the same thing.

"We should go home", Toshiko voiced their thoughts. "They need us there, we have found nothing here and I doubt we are going to, either."

Owen, being their leader now, nodded his consent and everyone's relief was almost tangible. They would go home, back to a world with hot showers and no yak milk. Back home where Jack might one day return. The team would have packed their things and started the journey immediately, braving even the dangers of the night-time mountains, if it was not for the storm that had engulfed them.

When they were finally able to set out, they all had a new kind of spring in their step. None complained about the long hours of walking and climbing, nor about any other discomforts they suffered. They toiled mostly in silence, although on occasion Gwen or Owen would crack a joke that normally would have made them groan, but which they now found absolutely hilarious. Even Ianto laughed with the others, during those moments when he was not listening to the howling wind calling him home.

They slept the whole plane journey back to London, huddled together as if still seeking each others' body heat, and none of them complained about the potential discomfort or awkwardness of their closeness. From London it was just a brief flight to Cardiff, but they slept through that one as well, and afterwards Owen felt refreshed enough to declare that if he ever saw a yak again, he would go on a murderous rampage. They took a taxi to the hub and then entered through the tourist information point, each sharing an equal load of their equipment. They were all exhausted and filthy, wearing the same clothes they had every day over the last three weeks and the men were long overdue a shave, but their spirits were high as the circular door rolled aside and they walked into the hub. And there, sitting on the stairs leading into his office was Captain Jack Harkness.

As they entered, he stood up suddenly looking very hesitant and uncertain. He quickly covered this by flashing his usual grin and by asking: "Did ya miss me?"

Torchwood 3 stared at their leader with jaws hanging open, barely comprehending what he was saying. Toshiko was the first to move, losing her grip on one of the bags, which fell onto the grill-flooring with a loud clang. The others put their gear down slightly more gracefully and they all shared a look. Ianto, however, was the first to acknowledge Jack's presence.

The young Welshman walked up to the American and without saying a word, kissed the Captain with all the love and tenderness he had received in the mountains. It was Jack's turn to be surprised, but he soon wrapped his arms around Ianto and responded eagerly. Before the kiss got any more passionate, the younger man stepped back and regarded his superior for a moment or two. Then, still without a word, he turned and walked past his friends and out of the hub.

End.


End file.
